Free planting tool
Michigan planting calendar
Choose the town nearest you. Dates are worked out from that town's average last spring frost.
Average last spring frost–
Average first fall frost–
Growing season–
USDA zone–
| Crop | Start indoors | Outside | How |
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Frost dates are long-term averages and a frost can still come later in some years. Watch the 10-day forecast before setting out tender plants like tomatoes, peppers and basil.
Why it matters
A short season rewards good timing
Much of Michigan gets 130 to 160 frost-free days. Starting peppers and tomatoes indoors at the right time, then picking early varieties, is the difference between a September harvest and green fruit on the vine at the first frost.
Cool-season crops like peas, spinach and lettuce go in weeks before the last frost and can be sown again in August for a fall crop.